Hephaestus
Hephaestus ( Hephaistos) is the Greek lame Olympian god of the forge and of fire. He is the son of Hera, who bore him in retaliation for Zeus having bore Athena (though in many traditions, Hephaestus is present at the birth of Athena). Along with Athena, Hephaestus is an important god for city dwellers. He is the protector of smiths; she of weavers. His Roman counterpart is Vulcan. Hephaestus was so ugly he brought shame to Hera so she threw him off Mount Olympus. Another account states that Hera, being embarrassed that her son was born a cripple, threw Hephaestus off Mount (Other stories say that it was Zeus that threw him after he came to Hera's side in an argument) Olympus, where Thetis and Amphitrite caught him. The seafolk taught him blacksmithing, and he had stayed there until he was the greatest blacksmith. He had made a chair for his mother and asked Hermes to deliver it to her, but it was actually a trap and when she sat down she couldn't move. When he refused to release her, the gods sent Dionysus to intoxicate Hephaestus. Hephaestus, under the influence of Dionysus' potent wine, released his mother. As the god of fire, he makes all the armor, weapons and furnishings for the gods, working with the Cyclopes in his forges. He created handmaidens out of gold to help him in his forge beneath volcanoes. In Mythology In mythology, while Hephaestus was away, Ares sneaked to Aphrodite's chamber and slept with her. Hephaestus, when informed of the ongoing affair by Helios, resolved to catch the lovers in the act. He set up a trap that consisted of a net of very strong, very fine bronze webs, that would shoot out and trap Ares and Aphrodite. When the trap was sprung, Hephaestus invited the Olympians to watch them. The goddesses, wisely did not come, but the gods did. Hephaestus demanded a fine from Ares for sleeping with his wife, and did not let him out until Poseidon, feeling embarrassed about watching all this, said that he would pay the fine. Ares then fled the scene. Family of Hephaestus Immortal Offspring With Cabeiro *Cadmilus With Aglaia *Eukleia *Eutheme *Euthenia *Philophrosyne With Aetna *the Palici With Aphrodite * Notable Mortal Offspring With ? *Cecrops *Erichthonius Creations Hephaestus created various if not all the divine weapons and items for the gods, with the help of chthonic Cyclopes, which were his assistants in the forge. Among his creations are: *Achilles' armour *The Aegis *Agamemnon's staff of office *Aphrodite's girdle *Eros' bow and arrows *Heracles' bronze clappers *Hermes' Winged Helmet and sandals *Shoulder of Pelops (after it was eaten by Demeter) See Also *Twelve Olympians External Links Citations *(Hamilton 1998, p. 34-35) References * Hamilton, Edith (1998), Mythology, Back Bay Books, New York, ISBN 0-316-34151-7 Gallery 220px-Vulcan Coustou Louvre MR1814.jpg Hephaestus by Chrisra.jpg In film COTT2-05658r.jpg|Hephaestus in Wrath of the Titans COTT2-05729r.jpg Hephaestus.jpg|Hephaestus from the Disney animated film, Hercules Mortal Descendants in Athens Category:Greek Gods Category:Gods of Fire Category:Twelve Olympians Category:Greek Mythology Category:Olympian Gods Category:Offspring of Zeus